Darkness Deepens
by DaMick
Summary: WIP. Sequal to Darkness permeats but you don't need to read that to understand this. Buff's life has someone who supports her now, but will she be able to support him?
1. Hard work

A/N: As usual, I own nothing. This is the sequel to Darkness Permeates and is set in season seven so spoilers apply. This story has the same adorable characters we've all grown to love (most of us anyway) with a single addition and a few changes because of it. Because most of you will not have read Darkness Permeates (but I hope you will) I will graciously provide you with a short biography of the OC, Jake.

-Jake: Age, 32. Enlisted early at seventeen in the army and worked his way up quickly through Infantry, Airborne, Ranger, and Special Forces schools. Had a few traumatic events (battles) happen and left active combat in favor of training other advanced soldiers including Agents Finn and Graham. He now runs his own special bounty hunter service where he gets paid to deal with the underworld threats to innocents and not so innocents.

The timeframe is a few weeks after the end of season six and this story is from his POV. Hope you enjoy.

I tried. So hard, for her; I tried. I forced my body to move in ways it used to and ignored the pain that had built up in my mortal body. As promised by Willow, my bullet wound healed steadily. The stab through my chest, however, had a ways to go. The scar promised to be jagged from my constant pulling at the stitches but it had stayed closed for the last three days as I pushed through my morning exercises. Today I even imagined the pain to be less as I pulled myself up and lowered myself back down again from the bar where the shower curtain was supposed to be. Normally I would be afraid this thing would crash down under my body weight, but by widening my arms to grab it at the ends, not a problem with this small a shower, I could stabilize it enough to keep it from bowing in the middle. Gasping, I dropped down to my feet with a hand clamped over my chest. I pulled my hand away to pry the top off the bandage but the cut was still together. I stepped into the shower and turned on the water to gently beat across my skin.

I was feeling a little bit better everyday, but I wasn't there yet. I begged the hospital staff to let me go home but they told me I had to wait. Wait until today, that is. I stepped out from under the falling water and dried myself off and began to pull back on my clothes. I walked to the bed and lowered myself to the cool white sheets, pulling one hand behind my head to prop myself up. I glanced at my watch and closed my eyes waiting for my ride to show up. As promised, almost an hour later, there was a soft tap at the door. It opened to silhouette my savior in the white hallway light. I smiled as she crossed to my side and leaned forward to kiss me, both hands on the edge of the bed. My hand moved to the back of her head as our kiss deepened. The need for air finally made me lean back as my lung made itself known.

"Hello to you too, beautiful. So what's the deal? Ready to get me out of here?" She smiled brightly up at me and I stroked the hair gently out of her face.

"Very ready. This bed is nowhere near big enough." I kissed her mischievous smile and moved carefully off the bed onto my feet. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and we walked together out to the lobby where Xander was waiting for us. He approached me with a careful backslapping hug and a huge grin.

"Go ahead, say it."

"Say what, man?" I wasn't buying it.

"Whatever smartass comment you've thought up to razz me with this week."

"I would never. Well, not on the day you get to go home, anyway." I shook my head with a rueful grin.

"Thanks." He led the way out to his car and Buffy and I climbed together into the backseat. He chauffeured us out of the parking lot and started us down the road. He swung us first by my apartment so Buffy could put together a bag for me.

"I want you to have a few things so you can stay with me at the house." I wasn't going to protest; it meant I'd get to stay there without possible comment from her friends. I did remember to grab my computer and a few other essentials. As we were heading back down to the car with Buffy carrying my single bag I took a look around the parking lot.

"By the way, where's my car?" Neither of them could meet my eyes for a minute and it was Buffy who finally answered, stepping closer to me with a sweet expression on her face.

"Yeah, about that... I had to ask Xander to move it." I looked down at her innocent face and then shifted my gaze to Xander.

"But Xander can't drive a stick shift... Tell me you didn't crash it."

"I didn't crash it exactly. I more of, kind of, parked if more forcefully than usual. It stalled out and I couldn't start it again." Uh oh. At least it was probably still fixable. I took a breath and shrugged it off; nothing could bother me today. I fixed a smile on my face and threw my arm back around Buffy's shoulders as I continued down toward the car.

"So where is it exactly?" Just to be sure.

"It's in my driveway. Dawn even washed it yesterday so it would look good for you when you came home." We got in and she insisted on holding the door for me. I smiled and paid the toll on my way by and she waited till we were situated and on our way before continuing on with her train of thought.

"Remember to be careful with her. She still kinda blames herself for what happened to you. Well, the sword part anyway."

"We already talked about this. I told her it wasn't her fault. I even promised to help her train after I got out."

"Still..."

"I'll be good. I'll just have to show her that I'm getting well and she'll feel better."

"Just don't push yourself for her sake. I don't want you to hurt yourself again. Remember what happened the last time I came to visit?"

"I remember. Don't worry, I'll be careful." She had found me laying in bed gasping in pain and with blood streaming down my front. I had wanted to wait for the bleeding to stop before I called the nurse but she had quickly pressed the call button and put pressure on the wound to stop it for me. I shrugged off my memory as we pulled up in front of her house and Xander parked behind my car. I stepped out and slowly made my way to the blue beauty. Gently tracing her curves with a single finger I found a simpleton's smile on my face and quickly looked back at Buffy. She stood watching me, bemused and tolerant of my admiration for my car. I stepped back into her embrace and found her lips with mine.

"What? I've missed her too." She slapped my arm playfully and I turned around at the sound of the door opening. I was instantly enveloped in a strong hug from Dawn's arms. I returned it as best I could without pulling stitches and still managed to pick her up a little.

"I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Me too." Gradually we all made our way inside and into the living room. Buffy insisted on sitting me down and getting me something to drink immediately so I chatted it up with Xander a little while her and her sister were gone. Dawn came back first with a glass of milk and was followed a second later by Buffy with a tray of sandwiches, cut fruit, and cookies. I smiled as she fussed over me and made sure to thank Dawn especially. It worried me that she still felt bad; it really wasn't her fault what had happened to me. I reminded myself to have another talk with her later. I took a long look around the freshly cleaned living room, the smell of lemon still in the air.

"You guys didn't clean up just for me, did you?" Buffy blushed slightly and turned her head to the side for a second before facing me again.

"Well, yeah; kinda. This is a special day. And you deserve coming home to a clean safe place." I smiled and leaned forward to kiss her, still taking enjoyment from being able to do it in front of her friends. She smiled with a sparkle in her eye and I could hear the thoughts of her plans for tonight. Flushing, I turned away from her to look at the other oblivious faces around us. Clearing my throat, I forced a change of subject.

"So what's the plan for the rest of the day?" Xander and Dawn glanced at each other and then at Buffy before Xander answered me.

"Actually, the Dawnster and I are heading out to the mall for a few and we're bringing back movies for later along with dinner." That reminded me that I should stop by an ATM soon and pick up some cash. Buffy snuggled close to me as I finished the last bite of my sandwich and then stood to grab the tray and head for the kitchen.

"Buffy said she had something she needed to talk with you about." I smiled at Dawn and held out my arms for her to move closer. I held her close and whispered into her ear so softly I didn't think Xander could hear.

"You know I don't blame you, sweetie. But thank you for giving me time alone with your sister, we need it." I kissed the side of her head and she gave me a final squeeze before letting me go. Buffy came back into the room and Xander took the opportunity to excuse himself and Dawn. As they moved out the door Buffy disappeared again for a minute and I found myself on the couch nervously wondering what she might want to talk with me about. Was it about keeping me from patrolling? Or maybe she thought I was pushing myself to hard. She thought I'd done that when I was healthy. I hoped she didn't want to talk about getting pulled back; I don't think I could stand to have that talk yet. Maybe it was something different. Maybe it was something... special, between us. What could it be? She came back a minute later with my computer bag and took her seat on the couch next to me.

"I need to ask you something, but I'm not sure how to do it." I looked down at the laptop bag and then back up at her, still confused what this could be about.

"Okay. Well, I'm listening. Say what you gotta say, babe." She smiled up at me and patted the bag at her feet.

"I was wondering if you could show me how to do that website thing again. I kinda want to keep doing that. And I could really use the extra cash for Dawn's school stuff coming up." I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding as I gave a half chuckle.

"No problem whatsoever. So you kept the double-meat job, huh?"

"Well, yeah. I still have to show a steady job to keep Dawn. But I'd like to cut back my hours during the summer. They'll have more help anyway and I want to spend more time with Dawn... and you." I smiled as I reached past her for the bag and kept the wince from my face as I lifted it with my bad shoulder. I set it up quickly and in no time I was plugged in and online. I wrote down the website for her and put in a request for her username and password while she waited. I pulled up the hits for the local area and she took notes on the ones she might look up a little later. I walked her through it until I was sure she had it down and then we put aside the computer and just talked. Xander and Dawn found us like that, reclined on the couch with her leaning against the right side of my chest and my arms around her. During our long conversation I managed to get her to agree for us to start Dawn's training formally, but it wasn't all about business. We talked about simple things, mostly; enjoyable and peaceful things.

"Hey you two, what did you bring me?" I grinned as Buffy asked in her mock childish tone and I tightened my grasp around her slightly. Xander smiled as he moved directly toward the kitchen with the pizza boxes in his hand and Dawn made her way with her two bags to show us her hard won prizes.

"Thank you, Buffy. I love the new outfit you let me get."

"Thank you for that 'A' on your history test."

"Please, History is like so not a problem for me. Not after hanging around with Spi..." I looked sideways at her sharply as I felt Buffy stiffen slightly beneath my touch. Xander came back around the corner with the boxes held in both hands with paper plates and napkins balanced precariously on top. As he planted the pile on the coffee table the plates flipped forward and landed face down next to the boxes.

"Whoops." Dawn dropped both bags next to the couch and fled to the kitchen to get the drinks while Xander pulled out the video they'd rented and started playing with the VCR. Buffy and I rearranged ourselves so there was more room on the couch and Dawn took her place next to Buffy after passing out glasses of cola. The screen darkened and Xander moved back to sit next to the end of the table where he started opening the boxes. We reached eagerly for the pieces of warm sauce and cheese on round bread.

"At last, some real food." They chuckled as I bit into the piece with the relish of one who has choked down hospital food for weeks. The movie played and the conversation flowed as the pizza disappeared. My attention was focused more on Buffy and what she had to say about the movie than on the actual movie itself. I relished being able to just hold her in my arms and the feeling of warmth and comfort spread itself throughout my body. I felt myself relax... and if felt good. Eventually the movie ended and the screen went dark again. Xander reached forward to shut if off and Dawn stifled a yawn.

"Alright, kiddo. Off to bed with you; you've got school tomorrow."

"Aww."

"How many days left?" Her smile brightened as she answered my question.

"Four more days of class and then 'school's out for summer'." With hugs all around, she was careful of my chest and she squeezed her arms around me. "Goodnight Jake."

"Goodnight, sweetie." She disappeared up the stairs and Xander cleaned up the empty boxes and used plates and napkins. Buffy stood to follow him with the glasses after pushing me back against the couch when I tried to help. He left a few minutes later with our thanks for his help with Dawn and for the food. He smiled cheekily as she shook my hand and I punched him lightly in the arm before closing the door behind him. I looked around for a second, but Buffy had disappeared. I checked the kitchen, the backyard; the living rooms again, even the basement, but found nothing so I headed upstairs. Soft candlelight flickered from the cracked open door and I smiled as I tapped lightly at the door. The sound that answered me made me grin even further and in no way resembled actual words. A light push swung the door open fully and revealed my prize for all the pain I had endured.

She stood silently with her hair up in the single ponytail, wearing nothing but a smile, and she whimpered as a shiver caressed her skin, puckering her flesh slightly. There is nothing sexier than a woman who wants to be looked at, needs to be admired, and showing her how much you want to do both. Our minds intertwined as they had not in weeks, as our bodies touched for the first time. Light mental fingers traced down her skin all around every part but the most sensitive. She gasped under my touch, both physical and mental, and her responses only served to fuel mine further. Our lovemaking had often been like this, soft, gentle, even worshipful, caresses of each other's bodies and minds.

I woke up early the next morning to stretch out and run. I left quietly without her being disturbed by my exit. I told myself it would be important just to know if I could still do it, but it quickly turned into a competition with myself to see how long I could keep going. My scar didn't pull exactly, but the lung beneath it did feel the strain. I didn't even make it a mile before I found myself light headed and woozy. So they had saved most of the lung but my body still needed to readjust. I was standing, bracing myself with one hand on a fence from a house down the street when she found me.

"Are you okay?" She ran to my side and braced me with her shoulder. I waved my hand, still out of breath, to try and tell her I was alright but she was having none of it. She started to try and lay me down in the grass, but I kept my feet so she got us moving back to her house instead. Thankfully, she kept her early morning berating until after the front door was closed behind us and I was seated on the couch. I could breath more easily now, but was still feeling a little woozy. She went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water for me and came back to glare down at me. She stood with her hands on her hips after handing me the glass and I took a sip, waiting for the barrage to begin, admiring her sports bra and tight spandex pants.

"What did you think you were doing?" I smiled sheepishly up at her, still amazed at how put off my guard she could put me, even after all I'd already been through.

"I needed to know how much work it will take to get me back in the game."

"Already? You just got out of the hospital yesterday and you're already straining yourself. It's not even light outside. What would have happened if you had gotten attacked before I had found you?" Her anger gave way slowly to her fear for me and she relaxed her stringent pose to melt slowly into my arms. I held her close to me as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"I'm worried about you. I don't want to lose you again."

"Buffy, you're not going to lose me. I love you. I'm always going to come back." I kissed the side of her head and then worked my way down to her neck. We were curled up together like that as the first rays of sun broke through the window. She picked her head up and together we rose to go back outside. I stood behind her, wrapping her in my arms, as we watched the sun sweep away the fear of night from the sleepy little town of sunny-dale. My chin rested on top of her head and I closed my eyes as we stood together facing the new day. Finally we turned and headed back inside to get ready to face said day. I started getting things ready for breakfast but got pushed aside and ordered to sit back down. I was there at the center bar when Dawn came bouncing down the stairs and into the kitchen. Buffy tried to move the omelet without breaking it but it fell apart halfway to the plate. I winced as she dropped a piece but managed to save the rest for her sister's breakfast.

"Thanks, Buffy." I was released from Dawn's warm hug as she took the plate from her sister and took a seat next to me. Minutes later I had my own mostly together omelet in front of me but I waited for Buffy to cook hers before I took my first bite. All in all it wasn't that bad, and I've definitely had worse, but I reminded myself to teach her a few things when I got the chance. Dawn was shortly on her way off to school and we both walked her to the door to wave at Xander as she got in his car. Buffy turned to me after they had pulled away and she plucked at my sweaty shirt.

"You need a shower." I grinned as my arms wrapped around her sweaty sports bra and tugged on the back.

"Is that an invitation?" I picked her up and her lips found mine, distracting me pleasantly as I found my way up the stairs. A few hours later, cleaned and dressed again, we had time for more conversation. She pulled out her bills and we went over a few other aspects of her new employment prospects. As I was online already, I went ahead and checked my account balance, deciding I was still good enough off that I could afford to recover and spend some on Dawn's birthday gifts, but I would still need to take a job in the next few weeks. That was how long I had to get back in shape. I hoped it would be enough. I looked up as Buffy came back into the living room with two glasses of water and smiled as I saw her as though it was still the first time.

"What?" She asked as she handed me a glass and took her seat next to me.

"You're just so beautiful and I'm just so in love with you." I run a finger up to her face and gently moved a strand of hair out of her eyes as she flushed slightly with an answering grin. I kiss her gently, a simple sweet kiss that promises nothing more than my love. With a sigh we turned back to the papers before us and began to muddle our way through the financial world around us. She was trying to convince me that she should cut back her days at the double-meat palace to as few as possible and I was trying to point out that in my line of work there are few guarantees for assignments unless you go where the jobs are. Eventually she agreed to cut down from six days a week to four and see how it worked, but she had three jobs she wanted to do today or tomorrow so she had more breathing room.

"What are you doing?" She was heading out the door and I was holding it open for her from the outside.

"What do you mean?"

"You with the 'one foot out the door'age. I thought I was going to do this alone."

"Oh you did, did you? And what was I going to do? Sit here all by my lonesome?" She stepped in closer to me as I stood with my back against the door and she looked up at me with her lower lip sticking out. I smiled down as she pouted cutely up at me and wrapped her quickly in my arms. She let out a cute little sound of surprise as I caught her lower lip with first my teeth and then my own lips. She looked up at me after I released her mouth, her arms still around me, as she resumed her pout.

"Please? Just until you're fully able." I let out a sigh and pulled her to me, hoping to abate the power of her puppy dog eyes. It didn't work, though, as I gave into her anyway.

"Okay. I'll play at being home base guy for a while. But you be careful." She pulled back with a smile that made me feel a little better and then kissed me good bye before taking off down the street. I stood watching until she was out of sight and then headed back inside to change back into my workout clothes. An hour of working out in the basement left me sore and dripping with both sweat and a little bit of blood. I contemplated another shower but decided instead on heading out to take a look at the car. I found the keys in a drawer in the kitchen and tried to start it the old fashioned way. it wanted to turn over, I know it did, but something was stopping it and the car tried to lurch forward with every catch of the engine. With a sigh I opened the garage to see what kind of tools the slayer might have available. Buffy found me another hour or so later, walking up as I crawled out from under my baby. She fingered my now dirty and greased covered shirt and I was thankful I hadn't taken that second shower.

"You're all dirty." I wiped my hands on the rag towel and smiled at her.

"I'm kinda used to it. How did it go?"

"No big, just two demons that have been bugging this guy. Still, they got me twelve hundred a piece. I really kind of love this job." I chuckled as she stepped closer for a careful kiss.

"So what's next?"

"I don't know, figured I'd grab a snack and maybe see what you're doing." I gestured at my car in minor exasperation. I was grateful for Xander not leaving my car by the side of the cemetery, but this might be a little too much.

"I think the transmission is jammed. I can fix it, but I need parts and maybe a helping hand."

"Well, I think there's a junk yard somewhere outside of town. Maybe Xander would know where it is. He could probably give you a ride down there too." I glanced at my watch where it lay in the grass and decided he was still probably at work.

"I feel like taking a break. How about me giving you a hand with your 'snack' and you can tell me about your next hit."

"You really call them 'hits'?" I chuckled as we made our way into the house so I could get cleaned up a little. My face and hands were clean and Buffy and I sat together on the back porch sharing her snack of fruit and yogurt.

"So what's next for this afternoon?"

"Something about a nest down on fourth. Shouldn't be too big a deal. From the way the guy described it there are only half a dozen or so. I should finish up before daylight runs out and be back in time for dinner. Speaking of..."

"What would you like? I think I'm in the mood for Italian maybe, but you're the working gal."

"I don't know. How do you feel about Chinese?"

"I think I can do that."

"Are you sure? I mean, if you're not able..."

"Darling, if last night and this morning haven't proven that I am still fully able, then you and I need to go back upstairs." She grinned mischievously at me and fluttered her eyelashes suggestively.

"Promise?" With a groan I looked down at my grease coated shirt and shorts, feeling the grime that had worked its way down my back.

"Maybe some other time. When I'm not so... stinky." With a sudden lunge I caught her in my arms as she planted herself firmly in my lap.

"I like it when you're stinky. It makes you smell all manly, with the grease and the sweat and the..."

"Yeah, yeah; you're just saying that." Her kiss rocked me back and gave me little doubt to her conviction. I smiled against her and relished the young willing body in my hands for a long moment before I pulled back.

"If we do that, I won't get the car fixed and you won't go clear out that nest." Wait. Were those words coming out of my mouth? Why would my mouth be saying things like that? She kept her seat in my lap and gave me half a pout, but I could tell her heart just wasn't in it.

"Alright, later then. So you really think you can fix it yourself?"

"Shouldn't be too hard once I get the right parts. So how long have you had that jeep in the garage?"

"The geek-machine? That was my mom's. It hasn't been driven since..." Her eyes went distant and I felt the feeling she did from her reminiscence. She slowly focused back on my face and I smiled as though nothing had happened. "Do you think you can use it?"

"If it's okay. I can probably find the place on my own without bothering Xander at work. I might need some help moving the car, though."

"No problem. We can get that done with right now." With a nice kiss she bounced off of my lap and held her hand out to help me up. She dropped the plate in the sink on our way through the kitchen and made directly for the front yard. I had managed to un-jam the gears but one of them was too marred for me to want to risk putting it back in. I released the brake and Buffy pushed it one handed backwards into the street and then I steered it so we parked parallel to her front door. Setting the brake and taking the keys with me, I met her on the way up to the drive. She guided me back up into the house and disappeared upstairs for a minute, coming back down with a set of keys. She handed them to me somberly and then forced a smile as she quirked her head shyly to the side.

"I'm not even sure it'll start."

"Thank you." I kept my voice serious, hoping to make her feel better by understanding the importance of the issue. I decided against asking when I could start teaching Dawn to drive. I reminded myself to ask her about her own driver's license as well. I took them carefully, feeling the weight of them in my palm and wondering at why they weighed so much more than they should. The moment stretched and she turned her head to the side, standing as she did with her arm wrapped around herself and playing with her neck.

"So, uh, I'd better get going if I want to get back by nightfall." I smiled as I waved my hand for her to precede me out the door. She waited while I opened the garage again and unlocked the jeep's door. It whirred gently and stopped; dead battery. A quick check and a trade from my car and she came to life. Buffy clapped as I raised my arms in victory, the weight of the moment forgotten. I backed down the drive and parked it, leaving it running as I stepped out of the jeep and into her arms. A long goodbye kiss followed after making sure she didn't want a ride. I pulled out my cell phone as I drove and dialed the General's number from memory. As it rang through, I thought back to all the times we'd shared and how many times we'd helped each other out; how many times we'd saved each other's lives. This time, though, all I needed was directions to a junk yard.

"Hey, you old bullet-stopper, how's life?" Always the tactful one, the General was.

"Well, I'm living it. Again. How's business?"

"Ahh, the usual; boring but brutal. What can I do for you, chief?"

"I need to see a man about a car."

"New or used?"

"Parts." We traded friendly insults and exchanged promises to meet again later in the week while he explained how to get to the best place for what I was looking for. A ten minute talk and a fifteen minute drive later, and I was where I needed to be. I found and bought the part, and even saved a little money by stripping it out myself. I was on my way back to Buffy's house but decided to swing by and see Xander anyway. Word was his company had gotten the job for the new sunny-dale high school. I pulled up to the site and found him without having to ask. I just followed the sound of the reasonable controlling voice and there he was.

"Jake! What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd stop by and take a look at the place. Did I ever tell you I used to do handyman kind of work with my Dad?" He shook his head and I could tell he was wondering where I was going with this. "I was wondering if I could get a little tour. If you've got the time, of course; I don't want to pull you away from something importa..."

"Grab a hat." I smiled as he cut me off and I snagged a hard cover from the posts next to his planning table. We worked our way, not too slowly, around the entirely completed sections and through some of the mostly completed sections as well. He pointed out parts his guys were responsible for and I asked questions that actually made it sound like I knew what I was talking about.

"I gotta admit, I'm impressed."

"Oh yeah?"

"You're really good at this, the school looks great, and all of this is going to be done by the next school year. Really, that's like awesome." He chuckled humbly as we talked about his projects and then asked about mine and what I was doing. When he heard about the car he turned his head to the side and I swear he blushed a little.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that, man."

"Don't worry about it. A twenty dollar part and a little elbow grease; no big."

"Still, man; I feel like I owe you one." I decided to let it go for now and maybe he'd forget about it, unless of course it turned out I might need it.

"Alright, bro; we'll take care of that later, though." He nodded and I shook his hand, thanking him for the tour. I dropped the hat off where I'd found it and got back in the jeep to go try and fix my ride. As I made my way down Revello drive raindrops started splattering on the windshield and I groaned at the thought of working on my car in the rain. Then my thoughts flew to Buffy and her now working without the benefit of sunlight backing her up. I accelerated past the house and began heading in the direction of her slight tug on our psychic link. I didn't sense any danger from her, or fear, just a sense of wishing I was there. In just a few minutes, I was. I found her walking under an awning downtown and she smiled brightly as I pulled up beside her. She climbed in and leaned over to give me a welcome kiss.

"Thanks, I thought I was going to have to get all wet after getting all dusty, and that is never a good combination. Kind of like an evil mudpack." I chuckled, knowing what she meant. "So did you find what you were looking for?"

"No problem. Still gotta put it together, but I'm hoping it will work. I swung by and saw Xander today, too."

"Oh yeah? How's he doing?"

"Good. The school is really coming along." I glanced down at she found my hand with hers and flashed her a smile before concentrating back on the road. Being able to tell what the drivers around you are going to do before they do it is very helpful, but it still takes some thought. The rain started coming down a little harder as I turned back down Revello drive. I pulled all the way into the garage, making sure she had enough room to get out, and we made the run together to the front door. Dawn was standing there with towels waiting for us. The rain continued into the night as I started dinner. Stir fry vegetables with sweet and sour pork over a bed of white rice. Nothing fancy, but I could do it from the directions on the back of the bag. The family sat down together at the table as we ate and talked about our days, the lightning and rain having no effect on our new beginning.


	2. Settling in

A week had passed and I'd spent every morning I could running, more than a few times falling over gasping for breath. I trained in the practice room behind the magic box every afternoon, after agreeing to help Anya out with the rest of the cleanup and taking care of that part first. Sometimes I trained until blood ran down my chest from pulling at the fresh scar. Buffy found me like that a few times and had used her gentle touch to help me stop the bleeding and get me cleaned up again. The scar from the bullet I had taken for her was fading to match the other marks of war on my body, but the cut through the chest was still prone to leaking. Gradually, over the course of the seeming endless week, I felt my strength returning. Well my physical strength anyway. There was a certain blond superhero that still had me wrapped backwards around her little finger but I was more than willing to submit myself to her will.

"I don't like you pushing yourself like this. It's not healthy and it's not necessary." Well... most of the time I was willing anyway.

"What else am I going to do? Follow you around and lug your weapon bag?"

"Of course not. I just want you to be..."

"Safe?" I paused to shake my head. I held out a hand for her and she took it for me to draw her close against me. I wrapped her in my arms, reveling in our close contact, for a long moment before I tried speaking again. "I've never been safe, Buffy. I will get over this, but I want to do it as quickly as I can."

"I know you do. But I don't want you to hurt yourself doing it. Promise me you'll be careful." I kissed the top of her head where it rested on my scar.

"I promise." We headed down together to the magic box for an hour long training session that left me only slightly out of breath; she had taken it easy on me. We stood together panting and with me clutching the place on my side she had planted her knee.

"I wanted to ask you something today." I looked up at her while she stretched out a little and forced my body to straighten.

"Go ahead."

"I wanted to ask if you could teach me how to do what you do."

"What part? Some of it gets kind of complicated, but the easy stuff we pretty much covered the basics of in the woods."

"I know that. I wanted to get into some of the more advanced stuff, if you're willing. Some of the mind read-ey stuff."

"You mean you want to be able to anticipate your opponent's moves. I can do that."

"Really? How long do you think it might take?"

"However long until you're ready. I do have one favor to ask, though." At her raised eyebrow I continued with my own request. "Classes like this usually go better with more than one student. I'd like to have Dawn train with us." Plus it would give me the chance to begin her physical training at the same time, bring them both up together. Her sister seemed to ponder silently for a moment or two before somberly nodding her head. She tossed me a towel and we dried off before heading out to the car, smiling at Anya on the way out. I wondered if she was back in the vengeance game full time yet, but she still kept the shop open. Well, as open as she could considering it was still mostly full of rubble. She really liked her money, I guess. We were in my car, which as predicted still ran beautifully. I glanced around at the clear blue sky before starting it up and beginning the journey back to her house. I had not insisted on moving back to my apartment, and she had steered the conversation away from the topic whenever I attempted to bring it up. Out of the blue a thought popped into my mind and the short circuit to my mouth kicked it out.

"I miss Willow." I felt Buffy's gaze on my face, but kept my eyes on the road as some bastard cut me off and if I hadn't have felt it coming he would have hit us. Buffy slid her hand onto my thigh as she moved closer to me and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

"Me too. I know Giles took her to England for her training and the safety of the world and all, but I want to help her."

"I know you do, babe. It's for her own good, I guess. And they can help her more than we can."

"I know. I just miss my friend." I rubbed my hand across her back and felt her smile up at me. We made it back to her house without incident and I stretched out some more while she took her turn after me in the shower.

I was getting better, just not fast enough for my liking. I was itching for a good fight and the lack of action was beginning to chafe. Buffy had thrown her heart into making me feel better about everything. She downplayed her nightly patrol and spent as much time as possible with me doing 'normal' kinds of things. We'd established a weekly movie night and she worked beside me rubbing elbows as we struggled through our attempts at actual cooking. Dawn, since school got out, had been following me around a lot more and we'd made a few trips to the mall together with my wardrobe showing the effects. As promised she did ask me a few awkward questions, mostly about boys with only a few I felt I couldn't answer, but I didn't go reporting on her to her older sister either and I think she appreciated it. Right now she was looking down at me from the top of the stairs before she made her way bouncing down them.

"How you feeling?" I stretched my shoulder again, feeling the pull in my chest seeming less than it had the day before.

"Better, I think. I can't quite take your sister yet, but I'll get there." She grinned at me and I smiled as I pondered telling her the good news. The sound of the bathroom door opening made my decision for me as Buffy emerged and headed down to join us.

"Hey, kiddo. How was your day?"

"Good. Sleeping in definitely has its advantages." I met Buffy's eyes with mine and she nodded.

"Dawn, we have something we'd like to talk to you about." Her eyes flew from me to Buffy and back again nervously. She gulped and quickly tried to explain herself for whatever transgression she imagined we'd found out about. I held up a hand to forestall any inadvertent admissions of guilt and smiled reassuringly. Buffy stepped in and continued as if she hadn't heard any of Dawn's attempts at innocence.

"Actually, we wanted to know if you'd like to start training with us. Mostly the mental stuff, but we need to work on your fighting skills too."

"Are you kidding? I would love to. When do we get started?" I grinned at her enthusiasm but wanted the lessons to progress together as much as possible.

"Well, Buffy has work tomorrow. It will probably be the day after that; Wednesday."

"Awesome. I will totally be there."

"Great. Glad to have you with us." I gave her a hug and Buffy looked around the room.

"Where's Xander? He was supposed to be here with the movie by now." As promised, he arrived ten minutes late but with hot pizza and a new release; something that had come out while we were all busy saving the world and stuff. A few minutes later we were all enjoying our Monday night movie and pizza double feature. We took our customary places with me eating one handed and wrapping my right arm around Buffy as she leaned back against me. The movie was alright, but I enjoyed the company a lot more. The movie wound itself down and Xander hit rewind as Dawn started gathering empty boxes. I snagged the glasses and followed her into the kitchen.

"Thank you." I looked over at her about to head out the back door and raised an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"For talking to Buffy about starting my training. I haven't forgotten the things you taught me a few months ago. I just wish I could have used them better during... that fight." Her eyes had inadvertently strayed to my chest and the scar hidden by my shirt. I ignored the glasses and moved to her side.

"I already told you that wasn't your fault. Why won't you believe me?"

"Because I know I could have done something different, something better that might not have gotten you hurt. And I just had to do it after you got pulled back from heaven." I squeezed her against me so she wouldn't have to see my face. This was the first time anyone had mentioned that experience since it had happened. I guess Buffy must have told her, but I didn't know about it. I had been hoping not to bring that into the conversation, but that just got blown out of the water.

"Dawn, did Buffy tell you?" She nodded her head against me, her tears starting to drip down my shirt. "Did she also tell you why it was so easy to bring me back? Why I was willing to stay?" She shook her head and sniffed loudly. I kissed the top of her head and we started rocking softly back and forth. "It's because of love. I love your sister, and I would rather live for her than die for her, but that's not it. I love you too. I don't want to leave you alone." My words must have struck a nerve I didn't know about because she cried even harder against me. Buffy poked her head around the corner, but I shook my head and I felt her disappear behind me. I held Dawn for as long as she needed, to know that I wasn't going anywhere and I really didn't hold anything against her for that night. I felt her reach out for me with her mind, a clumsy, weak filament of a thought, but it was there. I grabbed it with my own and slowly dripped my conviction down that connection. She shuddered slightly against me as it hit her and I was glad I had held back from her. Gradually she pulled herself back together and I had to admire the Summer's strength of will as she wiped her eyes and smiled up at me.

"Thank you. We love you too, and I'm glad you're here with us." Another quick hug and she picked up the empty boxes she'd dropped before ducking out the back door to put them in the trash can outside. I waited for her to come back and then followed after her as we rejoined Buffy and Xander. Buffy hugged her sister who smiled up at her and returned the hug. Xander and I stood somewhat to the side as he told me he had to get to work early the next day. We walked outside as he made his way into his car and then he drove away. I followed the two girls to the front porch but stopped to admire the night. My mind traveled back in time to a night like this one but with another cameo guest appearance from Spike. The night I had slugged him without saying two words to him. He had laid right there glaring up at me as I walked into the house and into the arms of the woman I loved before his eyes. I wished I could have killed him then and saved her from what he had tried to do to her. Shrugging off those thoughts physically I stepped the rest of the way into the house, chasing after the ones I loved.

Our first lessons began like the ones we had started out with, so long ago in the woods. I had found focusing the crystals that Giles had left behind and set them up to reflect the light coming in through the shaded windows. Mats had been put down and the girls sat across from me with their legs folded beneath them. Indian style, they called it, and I chuckled to myself every time I heard that term. We began the meditations slowly and I quickly brought them back through a review of everything we'd covered before. I wrapped it up with a long deep meditation and found myself straining to reach the level I would need to be at so I could show them their own progress. I finally did it but had to pull back and end it quickly. I felt the room spin around me and swayed slightly on my feet before bracing a hand against the back counter. Buffy opened her eyes first and saw me weakened, her eyes widening as she sprung to her feet and moved toward me. Dawn opened her eyes in time to see her sister's motion and I tried to wave them both off.

"What's wrong?" I shook my head and forced the vertigo back down.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"No you're not. Dawn, grab our stuff, we're getting him home." I stood on my own, letting go of the wall, and felt the difference as my mind rebounded back to normal. I put a hand on Buffy's shoulder and she stopped in her motion to physically support me. Her gaze was questioning but I kept mine calm as I relaxed my touch slightly.

"I'm okay."

"Okay." She gave in grudgingly and Dawn looked at both of us from the chair that held some towels and their bags. I shook my head and faked a smile at her which she returned, reassured. Still, I motioned for her to grab her stuff and Buffy took her bag from her sister, throwing me a towel. I wiped at my sweating brow, odd since I hadn't done anything to warrant such perspiration. I led the way back out front past the mostly cleared away rubble, resisting the urge to step through where the wall was supposed to be and using the door instead. We piled into the car and the radio droned out any nervous chatter I ignored so I could focus instead on my driving. Back at the house I waited patiently in the kitchen with a glass of water while the girls took their time in the shower. Buffy came down after hers and I smiled as her wet hair brushed my chest and her lips found mine.

"You're sure you're okay?"

"For the fourth time; I'm fine. But thank you for asking." I kissed her again and she wrapped her arms around me.

"You know I love you, right?" Euphoria burst through me as my arms found their place around her and her words hit my brain.

"Good. That's the way it should be." I squeezed her and kissed her head before letting my grip go slack. "But I need a shower." She looked up at me innocently with her chest still pressed close against me.

"I wasn't going to say anything." I kissed her again quickly and stepped around her to head upstairs. I still hadn't figured out why it was so hard to push myself today, and only mentally. I would meditate tonight and see what I could figure out. I thought about it some more in the shower and it was only right before the water ran cold that I thought of a possible cause. Your brain is like any muscle in your body, the more you make it do the more it can do but the less you use it the more quickly it weakens. It was dark when I came downstairs again and we had dinner more as a perfunctory than as any kind of companionship. That night I held Buffy against me and it truly was me holding her instead of the other way around. I held her and she snuggled and wriggled tighter against me; further into my arms. I stayed awake and watched over her, whispering sweet nothings into her hair and soft skin that maybe made her cry maybe a little as she trembled against me, holding me tightly to her. I knew it was because she was still afraid I would leave her too, like she was afraid to love me because of it. I felt both honored and worried at the same time.

I wondered at the changes in our lives. Her making more money was definitely an added bonus even tough it meant she was technically working for me. I knew I loved her and she said she loved me and those words alone made it all worth coming back to her. My thoughts drifted slightly towards heaven again but I pulled back quickly before I screwed myself up. This is the only angel I needed right here in my arms. Again as I looked down at her I pondered the strength of her fear against her well being. I never wanted to hurt her, but I knew things would happen between us; they always do. Everyone that came into my life I ended up hurting one way or another and I never wanted to do that to her no matter what. Yes, she was the Slayer and was a stronger person than I had ever been, but as I had told Dawn so long ago it seemed 'everyone needs support sometimes.' I wondered if I should leave before I hurt her anymore.

I had seen the haunted look in her eyes every time she had come to visit me laid up in bed, despite how she had tried to hide it behind a smile. I knew she didn't like seeing me like that any more than I had wanted to be like that but at the time there was nothing I could do. Nothing but healing and getting back into shape so I could help her again. A single dry ironic chuckle escaped my lips and I was carefully silent until her brow line relaxed back into its normal smoothness. I had come here to help her, to fulfill the prophesy that Wesley had finally cracked to warn of a 'human threat' but in the end she had been the one that had to save me. Even now we didn't know who the human threat had been, Warren or Willow. I hated even putting their names into the same sentence. Yes, she had killed people and tried to end the world after hurting her friends, but she was still Willow.

I felt the bullet scar start to itch and carefully rubbed at it, trying not to wake her up no matter what. I recalled vividly how he had come around the back fence with the pistol in hand and yelling. I had done what I could, crashing my body into the trajectory and firing back, but had only nicked his leg and Buffy had still gotten shot. I recalled how beautiful she had looked holding my hand in the ambulance as I faded in and out of consciousness. Her own wound on her upper arm had been healed in a matter of seconds after Willow had ripped me back out of heaven. I searched my feelings for animosity at my friend for doing that and bricked up the wall between me and those thoughts. I loved my friend, I told myself, and my body had always been forfeit for others, my friends, even if they were the ones causing me pain.

I stroked my fingers lightly through the golden halo of hair belonging to my sleeping love and smiled. I was here with her and nothing in heaven, I again told myself, could ever make up for missing out on this. Goddess watch over Willow for bringing me back to my love. I prayed that she was doing better and that she knew her friends still loved her. I couldn't wait for her to come back where she belonged, but wanted her to spend as much time as she needed with Giles before she felt she was ready to keep her control again. Now the other wound in my chest, the cut I had technically gotten from Dawn but because of Willow, started tingling and I shifted my fingers to rub at it gently. I couldn't hold that against her either; it wasn't like she had averted her concentration from destroying the world to tell one dirt demon to cause me extra pain.

I remembered Buffy calling out for someone to help me even after the fighting had stopped and her kneeling in a puddle of mud mixed from my blood to cradle my head in her lap. That was when she had told me she loved me and that was what told me my life was never going to get any better and it truly was my time. Apparently the doctor's had thought otherwise. Now them I could hold something against. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible so I could start getting back in shape but all they wanted to do was give me excuses about why they couldn't save all of my lung and had to be carefully watched after my near death experience for fear the undue stress would have a negative effect on my healing. I would have shown them some god damned negative stress if I would have had to stay there for another week. Beside me my blond goddess opened her eyes and smiled at me.

"You okay?" I smiled down at her in natural response and clamped down on my thoughts before they could make a liar out of me.

"Fine. Just watching you sleep." She rolled against me and I slid onto my back so she could pillow her head carefully on my shoulder.

"My turn." I raised an eyebrow at her and she kissed my cheek as she brought her left hand up to stroke along my brow and the too long hair on my forehead.

"What to do mean?"

"You sleep and I get to watch you."

"What if I don't feel sleepy?"

"Too bad, not part of the plan." I chuckled and wrapped both arms around her, breathing in her soft vanilla scent. I closed my eyes and relaxed my grip as I felt my heartbeat settle into its smooth rhythm.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" She turned her face more against me and I felt her breath against my chest as she answered.

"Nope. I just couldn't really sleep. Too much stuff in my head." I reinforced my mental walls as much as I could before my thoughts bled over into her own worries. No reason to burden her with my thoughts in addition to whatever she was thinking about too.

"Whatcha thinkin about?" She let out a long slow breath that didn't quite qualify as a sigh.

"You." She didn't sound regretful though. I wasn't sure if she should or not.

"Well, don't get yourself all worked up over things you can't change. You know how stubborn I can be."

"Yes, but I also know how to get my way." Now that was true. I smiled and kissed the top of her head with my eyes still closed. "Now go to sleep."

"Yes ma'am." We lapsed into silence and I let the gentle feel of her against me lull me into the darkness.

I woke up the next morning as though I had had a really good dream. The muscles in my back worked quietly as I stretched myself out in pieces. Buffy lay in bed with a half smile on her face as she watched me pop my shoulders and I smiled back down at her where she sprawled across more than her side of the bed.

"What?" She shook her head softly.

"Nothing. You just look good." I chuckled and struck a pose I had seen in muscle magazines. She clapped appreciatively and whistled. I bowed and she rolled off my side of the bed onto her feet to give me a good morning kiss. I wrapped my arms around her short form and let out kiss drag out for a long moment before she pulled away from me slightly.

"So how did your thinking go last night?"

"It would have gone better if you didn't talk in your sleep." I felt myself tense slightly and forced myself to relax under her gentle touch.

"I did? What did I say?" I couldn't read her expression and despite our close contact I was too closed down to try and feel her reactions to it.

"Nothing much, mostly just some mumbling and a few words."

"About what?" I waited and could tell by her hesitation if nothing else that she didn't want to tell me. Whatever it was couldn't be good. "Buffy... about what?" She averted her gaze by stepping up close against my chest.

"I'm not sure exactly, something about losing people and knowing that your own body was forfeit. And a few other things that couldn't be true anyway so I figured they were just bad dreams." I closed my eyes and held her close to me. I hadn't wanted my night thoughts to bleed over into hers but the damage was already done. I didn't want to argue with her this early in the morning, especially not on a day she had to go work in fast food hell. Time for the empty reassurances I was becoming so good at in my recovering invalidity.

"I'm sure it was just part of some weird dream I was having. I am not losing you. Am I?"

"Only to the perils of burger grease and unfriendly customers." I kissed her again and she stepped away from me to get ready for her shower. She had some time before she had to get to work and then I would wait for Dawn to wake up so we could spend the day together. In the meantime, I wiped sleep out of my eyes and pondered how I could keep my private nightmares from affecting Buffy again as I made my way downstairs. She came into the kitchen as I flipped her omelet onto a plate and sat down to her glass of juice.

"Sure you don't want me to drop you off?"

"No, I need the exercise. And the time to think." About what, I wondered but didn't ask. I stood leaning against the counter across from her as I ate a banana and admired her bright orange uniform. She ate quickly and kissed me as I walked her to the door.

"Have a good day."

"You too. Don't over tax yourself with Dawn."

"Never happen." She kissed me again and started off down the drive to the sidewalk. I smiled after her for a minute before closing the door and heading back into the kitchen. If someone ten years ago had told me that I'd be here playing the happy homemaker to a twenty something girl who worked fast food and saved the world I would have told them to have another drink on me. Well, that or punched them out; either one. I thought about it for a few seconds with a smile on my face before I got started on half the dishes, leaving the pan out in case Dawn wanted an omelet when she woke up. I had the kitchen cleaned and had finished a quick touch up on the rest of the house when Dawn finally came down the stairs yawning.

"Good morning, sleepy head."

"Morning." I followed her into the kitchen and asked about and then started on her omelet.

"So what's the plan for today, kiddo?"

"Not sure. We could do some training, if you're up to it. Other than that I'm pretty much without the ideas." I flipped her eggs onto her pan and thought about what else I wanted to do today. With a flash it hit me. I needed a haircut. She ate and I headed upstairs after finishing up cleaning the pan to clean up myself. We piled into my car and took off for barbers unknown.

"What would you like, sir?"

"Ooh, you should try this one." Dawn held up the cover of a GQ magazine up for my approval. I thought about it for all of a second and a half before giving my answer.

"No." Dawn mock pouted at me for a few seconds before holding up another one.

"How about this one?" I actually could have considered that one but considered the source and shook my head again. She dug through the magazines again and found the one she wanted while the barber behind me watched the minor byplay with a smile on his face. He spoke softly to me while she flipped through the pages of the one she had found and I don't think she heard us.

"Your daughter?"

"Not quite. She's my girlfriend's younger sister."

"Ah. Thus the attempted impressing."

"Not quite. Still, she knows more about fashion than I do."

"Ah, that'll do it." He knew I meant Buffy in that weird way that barbers have of knowing parts of the back story you don't tell them. As I watched, Dawn found the one she was looking for and bounced over with it to show me. I looked from the picture to her and then back at the picture before checking the cover of the magazine. I was amazed that something so practical could come from that kind of thing.

"Let's try it." The barber took a few seconds to look the picture over before handing it back do Dawn and turning on his clippers. We made it back home after lunch to do some training in the backyard before I got started on dinner. I wanted to prove to Buffy that I was feeling much better today and the haircut was only a physical accent to the rest of the plan. Dinner was started nicely and I headed upstairs to find my bag. I took a quick dip in the shower and carefully shaved my face smooth before getting dressed and finding the shirt Dawn and I had picked out to impress Buffy months ago, one I'd never gotten to wear for her. I came back down stairs and Dawn looked up at me from where she was checking on the lasagna in the oven.

"Wow." I looked behind me and realized I was the target of her admiration. I smiled and moved to check on it as well before getting started on the salad and then tossing the garlic bread into the oven to get nice and crunchy. Dawn helped me set the table and then ran upstairs to get cleaned up herself from our afternoon workout. I had taken it easy on her, but she still got a little dirty from her up close and personal time with the ground. I was standing in the living room watching the news waiting for the timer to tell me everything was finally finished when I heard the door open.

"Honey I'm home." She called as she took two steps inside and froze. I watched her face as she smelled the good food cooking and then as she looked around for us. Her eyes met mine and she closed the door behind her before stepping into my arms as I moved to meet her. I kissed her and hugged her close before she held me out at arms length, giving me an approving once over.

"Welcome home."

"What's the occasion?"

"No occasion. I just wanted to make dinner for you when you got home." Her smile reached her eyes before she tried to pull away from me again.

"But I smell all with the burgers and the fries and the- the 'smell.' This is so not fair." I pulled her back to me and kissed her again.

"Darling, you've still got plenty of time to get cleaned up before dinner. Dawn's upstairs right now too." Her smile returned as I took her light jacket from her and hung it up next to the door.

"Have I told you lately that you're my hero?" She hurried her way upstairs and I went back into the kitchen to check on the lasagna and the timer again. I brought out the salad and the bread to the table before I started some soft music playing in the background. The bell rang and I pulled our dinner out of the oven and groaned at the slight crustiness to it. I shook my head and served out the best parts onto two plates to carry out for the girls. Maybe the temperature was too high or... My thought faded away as my eyes caught on Buffy's face. She had scrubbed herself clean quickly, I could tell from her still slightly pink skin, but her smile made her eyes shine and her skin glow. She never needed makeup to pretty herself up. To me she could sometimes be the most beautiful, the most radiant, when she was fighting and covered in dirt and vamp dust. I reminded myself to keep moving and to put the plates into their places. Buffy met me halfway and took them from me, a glimmer already in her eyes. I turned back to the kitchen to get my own plate and to try and get myself under control. I reminded myself that Dawn was in the room too and went back out to join them

Dinner tasted better than I thought it would but my attention wasn't really on the food. Buffy's foot ran up and down my leg slowly and I tried hard to answer Dawn's questions without confusing myself. I think Buffy took pleasure in teasing me as I was under Dawn's watchful eyes and I'm pretty sure that by the end Dawn knew what was going on. That or she was extremely perceptive as she told us while we were all cleaning up that she was going to stay up and watch a movie tonight. As promised, she planted herself on the couch with a bowl of ice cream. I followed Buffy and her pint of fudge brownie ice cream up the stairs and into her room, supposedly so we could talk without disturbing Dawn's movie. I stood outside her doorway for a second and smiled when Dawn turned up the volume to where I could hear it up the stairs. I closed the door behind me and Buffy showed her appreciation for my shirt by throwing it to the floor and for my haircut by running her fingers through my shorn locks. I have only one thing to say about the ice cream. Spoons are highly over rated.


	3. lessons

The summer months passed quickly and with few problems. Buffy and I were working well together especially now that her friends were fully adjusted to us being together. My muscles were adapting to the new scars and it no longer pulled too badly when I worked out and it hadn't bled in weeks. I could do the entire meditation routine up to and now including the one handed hand stands. The only problems I had were simple and at the same time unmovable. The first big one was convincing Buffy that I was almost back up to par. I had wanted to start sparring with her full out again but she kept holding back. Granted even with her restraint I couldn't beat her but that wasn't the point. She no longer tried to wait on me hand and foot but we kept up our weekly movie night and went out more often as well. Patrol was a big issue between us as she insisted on taking care of me as I had once taken care of her, often trying to disappear and deal with the threat before I could find her again.

The other big problem I had also hadn't gotten a whole lot better. My mind was still weak; either from a mental block or readjustment to my return I wasn't sure. I could still sense a few things from people around me and my premonitions were returning but the skill was intermittent at best. Dawn took great pleasure in pegging me with water balloons a few times when I had followed her into the backyard. She had loved the time away from school and big stress but, like me, missed Willow fiercely. I knew Buffy missed her best friend too, but I think the whole evil thing had her thrown more than a little bit. She just wasn't expecting someone she'd known for years to suddenly try to end the world and that was understandable.

I had been planning a short trip of maybe a few days to visit Madame Allovette and see if she could help me find my center again or maybe just see if some time alone in the woods meditating could let me work out a few things I needed. However, I also wanted to hold off on that until Dawn was back in school so I wouldn't be leaving her alone while Buffy was at work. I know, she was a sophomore and everything, but bad things seem to keep finding her and I wasn't sure of her training yet. Buffy and I had clashed a few times over that too, that I was training Dawn in my own martial arts style. But I had pointed out to Buffy that her hybrid kind of style was more dependant on being strong and fast, two things that Dawn didn't have going for her… yet. I was sure she would get there eventually.

I stretched and popped my shoulders again for the third time in ten minutes. Tonight Buffy had decided that Dawn was ready to take on her first vampire, supervised of course. I had tagged along to help watch their backs and keep an eye out for other threats. I wasn't sure how she had done it, but Buffy had picked out which grave held a recent vampire about to rise. I perched on the back of a headstone a few feet away and watched the scene play out as the dirt started to move and Buffy started on her speech. I tried to take this seriously, but for me this was just another vampire. I didn't even keep count like I did with the actual human's I'd killed. I thought about the pistol riding in the front holster in my pants and the notch marks that were my way of keeping score. So far I was still way ahead.

"It's about power. Who's got it? Who knows how to use it?" I watched as she tossed the stake to Dawn and ignored the vampire struggling to get out of the ground. His game face was on and I resisted the urge to move forward and stake him myself. This was Dawn's first kill, and she was ready. I hoped.

"Well, I've got the stake."

"The stake is not the power." What was this power? Did she mean the strength and confidence it took to ensure you walked out of the fight you were about to walk into? The courage to actually stand and face a creature of the night on their own turf? Speaking of turf, the vampire actually seemed to be having a harder time getting out of it than usual. I carefully kept the smile from my face as Dawn began her dissertation of the vampire kind and the martial arts skills they inevitably seemed to pick up.

"Excuse me, I think I'm stuck." The vampire interrupted Buffy and I could have sworn she was going to roll her eyes as she turned around.

"You're stuck?"

"My foot's caught on a root or something. I don't even know how I got down there." There it was; the eye roll. This was too much and I found my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. Now if it was just me and Buffy the vamp would have been dead already and we'd be moving through the rest of the cemetery. But Buffy had promised after much wheedling on my part and Dawn was going to get a kill tonight, provided we didn't face like more than five at a time.

"So, he's got the power." Dawn smirked as Buffy moved down to the vampire's side.

"Zip it." The vampire rambled on as Buffy grabbed the back of his coat and pulled him out, setting him on his feet. He turned to face her and she grabbed him by the throat.

"Listen up. I'm the slayer and you do not want to get into it with me. You want blood? You can have hers." She released him as he turned to face Dawn and started advancing. "Power, he's got it and he's going to use it." The vampire charged and just like I showed her, she rolled out of the way while tripping him. He landed with his back against a headstone and she scrambled for her stake. She picked it up and stabbed down into his chest. She smiled but I just shook my head as he growled at her. She'd missed the heart. She tried again but he blocked her and knocked her back. She grabbed her spare stake out of the weapons bag and stood to face the vamp as he advanced again. She stabbed forward but he redirected her thrust and pulled her close with her back to him. He started lowering his fangs to her neck and my eyes were on Buffy as she moved around behind the vamp.

"Buffy! Jake!" I stood but froze as Buffy grabbed him by the shoulder and threw him backward. He kept his feet and quickly advanced for her again as she kept herself between the vamp and Dawn. She kicked him and hit him twice before getting blocked. She kicked him again while he held her arm and then flipped forward onto her feet so she could flip him forward. She kicked him a few more times and grabbed a short sword from the bag to cut his head off. As he dissolved she turned back to her sister and I was instantly by Dawn's side. She was fine, just a scrape and I offered her a hand up.

"It's real. That's the only lesson here, it's always real. You okay?"

"It's nothing. Plus, I had a plan the whole time." Oh I had to hear this. I turned a raised eyebrow in her direction as I moved behind Buffy.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Get killed, come back as a vampire and bite you."

"You wanted to be trained, babe." I had to grin at her smart ass, but couldn't let Buffy see it. I took the sword from her hand and tucked it into the bag which I slung over my shoulder.

"Well, just the next time with the…"

"You did good." Buff interrupted Dawn's rant and she stopped up short in surprise.

"I did?"

"Yeah." I stood by the tree and watched the moment between sisters as Dawn explained about her move calling it very ti-chi. "My first time out, I missed the heart too."

"No way." I smiled from the sidelines. My first time out I had shot the vampire three times in the head and still had to be saved by a twenty something petite blond.

"Just the once." We started walking back to the car and Dawn started bragging.

"Well, the next vampire I meet…" I shook my head from my place at Buffy's side.

"Uh uh. The next vampire you meet you run away." I sent Dawn a minor glare to make sure she got the message.

"I wish that was all we had to worry about; vampires, demons, they're nothing compared to what's coming." Don't tell me Buffy was getting her prophetic on already.

"I know, I just can't believe its back." Okay, now I knew what they were talking about.

"Believe me; I thought I was long past it. I guess you never are. Just a few more days till it starts and then we'll never know what's coming next." Sunny-dale high. We rode back to the house and dropped the car and Dawn off there. She was going to bed earlier to get back into her school sleep schedule but tonight had been the exception so she was about to crash. Buffy and I wished her goodnight before taking off walking down the sidewalk.

"So do you really think she's ready?" I turned my head at Buffy question and decided reassuring was definitely the way to go.

"She'll do just fine. You did."

"Yeah, but I had help."

"And she will too. You didn't have an older sister who had been there before or her friends who had been there with her. Plus, we've already checked out the zoo for animal worshipers, the books for younger sister prophesies, and the teachers for possible bug people. I even used my NSA contacts to make sure every single one of them is a hundred percent human. And last but not least, you didn't have an older sister whose boyfriend is not a robot." I still had issues with that last story she'd told me about her time in high school, but I understood why she hadn't outright had him killed. Er, destroyed. Whatever. We reached the first cemetery and I stretched my mind out as far as I could without passing out. She reached out and grabbed my hand as we stayed in step and with a mischievous thought and a glimmer in my eye I dropped the bag and swung her back up against a mausoleum. My lips found hers as we pressed up against the cool stone and her hands snaked up around my neck. The kiss lasted for a long time before she pulled away and smiled up at me.

"Thanks, I needed that."

"I know."

"But we need to patrol." I nodded.

"Okay." We took a few steps and we both looked around, still sensing nothing. "See anything?" She shook her head and stepped back into my arms.

"Nope." Few things can make you feel younger than making out somewhere you weren't technically supposed to be, like a cemetery. I still occasionally could feel very old around her especially when we did things like this. I was getting better at focusing just on our relationship and forgetting the rest of the world, but sometimes I could hear my father's voice echo through my head. Patrol wrapped up quickly and the weapon bag got thrown to the floor just inside the door as we made our way upstairs. I checked on Dawn while Buffy washed the vamp dust from her body and then took my turn in the shower. I walked into her dark bedroom and felt cool hands on my face as soon as I closed the door behind me.

A few days later I volunteered to stay out late for a solitary patrol so Buffy could get up early to take her sister to school. Not a big night, but I felt someone watching me the entire time I was out so when I ducked down a dark alley somewhere downtown I grabbed the bottom rung of a fire escape and quickly made my way to the roof. I waited patiently for someone to shadow me in and after just a minute a dark figure started their way in. I tailed them from the roof as they were obviously looking around for someone. They, whoever they were, made their way through a few corners and tried to backtrack to find me before I dropped down in front of it, the dark figure.

"What the…?"

"Xander? I thought you had to work tomorrow. Aren't you driving Buffy and Dawn tomorrow?"

"Sorry, bro. Yeah I am but I wanted to ask you something tonight." I sighed and relaxed against the alley wall.

"Go ahead, as long as it's not something prophetic or about the meaning of life or some other shit like that."

"Nothing like that. I just wanted to know what was up with Dawn lately. I know I haven't been around the past few weeks, trying to get the school finished up and we're still not done. Do you think she'll come to us if she has a problem or hold it inside like Buffy used to do?"

"I'm not sure, we can only wait and see. You should be at home asleep; you've got an early day tomorrow."

"Yeah, everyday. This grown up stuff sucks." I chuckled and was glad he had never been in the army.

"I know what you mean. Go home, Xander; I've got patrol tonight and I'll try to see you guys tomorrow."

"Alright, man. Be careful." I shook his hand and watched as he disappeared into the night before taking another route back to a cemetery I hadn't covered yet. I checked that one and rechecked a few others before making my final sweep at close to four o' clock the next morning. I crawled into a warm and welcoming bed after washing off the dust from seven lucky vampires. Lucky for me, that is, not for them. Buffy turned in her sleep to throw an arm across my chest and I slid my fingers through her hair gently, keeping her that way. She left me cold and alone the next morning when I rolled out of bed around ten o'clock. I stretched and got dressed to head down to the school, hopeful to meet up with Xander and Buffy for lunch.

Only they were nowhere to be found. One of the crew leaders I found next to the blue prints recognized me from the few times I had been by and explained to me that Xander had gotten a call just a few minutes ago and had disappeared. He might be in the bathroom or he might be dealing with some minor emergency, according to the worker. I thanked him and started walking off toward the school, pulling my phone out on my way. I dialed Buffy's new number from speed dial and listened to it ring.

"Jake?"

"Buffy. I'm here, but where are you?"

"Actually, we're kind of in the basement fighting some kind of apparitions that look like zombies. See if you can help Xander, he's got to break the talisman that's holding them here."

"Where is it?"

"In the girl's restroom…" Her voice cut off and I glanced at my phone. I had good signal and the call was supposed to still be connected so I stuck it back to my ear and said her name a few times. A burst of static was my only answer and with a muffled curse I snapped the phone closed and tucked it away. I walked briskly through the entryway and up to the first girl's room I found. With a grimace I knocked a few times and pulled it slightly open to ask if anyone was in there. Unfortunately there was and I gladly kept my place outside until she was finished up. I glanced around that room but saw no kinds of talismany objects so headed down the hall looking for the next one. I found the winner on my third try and instantly knew it by the gaping hole in the floor.

"Xander?" I stepped around the hole and looked down to find Xander's sprawled unconscious form down in the basement. A small object rested near his hand but I took a quick look around the room before giving up my chance for a second chance. Finding nothing I dropped down carefully, landing on my feet, and peering into the darkness trying to adjust my eyes. I picked up the object and felt a strange presence behind me. With a spinning kick I knocked a laughing dead girl away from my and quickly broke the talisman into two pieces. I watched as she instantly faded away and then bent to help Xander to his feet. He was a little woozy still, probably hit his head on the fall, so I propped him up against the wall and went for help. The maze of the basement made finding Buffy difficult, but not impossible with our bond. I found her wandering with Dawn and two other students I didn't recognize.

"Buffy, thank the Goddess." I wrapped her tightly in my arms and then opened my left arm to make room for Dawn to also squeeze up against me. I held them to me for a long moment before letting them go and looking expectantly at the others. I received quick introductions to Carlos and Kit before Buffy's eyes were turned back to me.

"You found it?"

"Yeah, and Xander to. I passed the stairs up a few turns back but I wanted to find you first."

"Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine, just got bumped on the head I think." Buffy nodded her approval and the whole group walked with me back to where I had left him. He was much more cognizant, especially because we found him walking toward the stairs with his hand pressed against his head. More greetings were exchanged and Buffy led the way up to ground level. Xander headed back toward his job site for some ice, he said, and I stood behind her in the hallway as other students filed past trying not to feel too self conscious.

"You guys are gonna be okay. The schools intense, but you'll do alright as long as you're careful. And, uh, you might want to think about sticking together." Kat was the first one to speak a second before she stepped forward to wrap her arms around Buffy.

"Thank you." She stepped back in time for Carlos to put his right hand out to touch her shoulder. I leaned closer to Buffy and looked at him over her oblivious head as his touch fell just short but his words struck home.

"I mean it; you are the coolest mom ever." Mom? They really thought Buffy was Dawn's mom? "And dad too. You guys are like intense." Dad? Me? I guess I was old enough, but still… dad? Dawn's expression dropped its smile quickly as she turned to face her friends and Buffy's hand strayed to her hair.

"Oh. Hey, c'mon, we still have a few more classes to live through." The sisters kissed each other's cheeks and Dawn led her newfound friends off down the hall as Buffy and I stood and watched.

"Curiouser and curiouser." The strong male voice said teacher or authority figure instead of student and approached me from behind. It preceded a well build, tall, black man who walked like he could handle himself. I subconsciously relaxed my shoulders in preparation for an attack as I stepped equal with Buffy to face him. His eyes, however, seemed fixed on her.

"What is?" At Buffy's question he gestured at the still visible forms of the new trio and explained.

"Possibly the only two students in this school who's files are as thick as yours was." He was reading her file? From the looks of it these two had met before, but he continued to ignore me.

"You really did your homework, didn't you?"

"I was looking for one of both of them to implode in some fearsome way right before mid-terms. But now I see that you've got them socializing, and hugging and, if I'm not mistaken, heading to class."

"Well we shared an… encounter."

"I know you're probably more than happy to get out of this place. But I got tell you, Miss Summers, I think you belong here."

"Hum new?" Buffy's voice held more than a twinge of fear and I slid my hand up to her shoulder to try and hold her steady. I wanted to see where this was going.

"Listen, I know this school's reputation. What, you think I got this job based on seniority? We got a lot of troubled students here and just enough money to keep this place from caving in."

"Yeah, you might need a little extra there." I slipped my hand from her shoulder to cross my arms in front of me, trying to see if this man was going to acknowledge me at all as Buffy's hand slid up to her hips and she took a significant glance around the hallway.

"Well we do have a community outreach program and the money we could pay you wouldn't even fold." Wait, money? "But it would just be a couple a days a week."

"Are you asking me to be a counselor?"

"Well we have a guidance counselor but I was thinking the kids could use someone, you know, closer to their age who still…"

"I'm in." She was in? She had cut off this man who was obviously a principal or something and even standing behind her I felt her smile. She always did enjoy a challenge.

"What, you're serious?" He seemed about as surprised as I was. "You did hear the part about the money, right?" I took about half a second for my brain to come up to speed. Buffy really wasn't hurting for money right now with all the extra jobs she'd been doing as a hunter lately. Her double-meat money now went mostly for entertainment or new clothes. Which could, sometimes, actually mean the same thing. She had only kept that job as a cover, a show, to demonstrate to social services that she had an actual legitimate income. This might work even better to that end even if her pay only broke even with what she was making at fast food. Plus, and I would be sure never to breath a word of it again, no more 'the smell' in our bed at night. I gave a half nod of my head; this could be good for her; for the both of us.

"Yeah I heard. My schedule might be a little funtastic, but I-I'll work it out. I'd like to keep an eye on this place."

"Well that's great. And the boyfriend won't mind the schedule change?" For the first time our eyes met and a flash of slight challenge spoke both his interest and my protection of my Slayer. My smile was bordering on cruel as I slid my arm back across her shoulder and down to find her side as I stepped closer.

"The boyfriend will support her no matter what. Nice to meet you Mister…"

"Wood. Robin Wood. And you are?" I held my right hand out to meet his as Buffy turned sideways and spoke for me.

"Sorry. Robin, this is Jake my boyfriend. Jake, Robin is the principal here. And my new boss." I gave his hand an extra squeeze at that last word, a silent reminder not to let it become more than that, and released him still with a smile on my face. He hid his hand in his pocket as he glanced at his watch and returned his eyes to Buffy.

"How bout that, not even noon and I've already bullied my first family member into helping out." He took a few steps but turned as his did and spoke over his shoulder at us. "I'm gonna be the best principle ever." Buffy smiled after him for a second before turning back to me.

"Thanks for the save back there."

"No problem, I'm just glad everyone is okay. Are we still up for lunch?" I saw her hesitate and glance at the basement door before turning back and nodding. We walked together into the sunlight and let it warm our fears away. Or, at least I did. I felt then and gradually more and more that afternoon that something wasn't sitting quite right with her. I at first put it off to the new job anxiety, but it felt more personal than that. I tried asking about Dawn's reaction to the school, really hoping to get a reaction from her. But there was no answer there either. In the end I decided to wait and watch as best I could for whatever might be troubling her and just let her come to me with it, if she chose to, in her own time.

Xander had gotten another raise the week before and he was taking us out today to celebrate. Lunch was good but filled intermittently with broken silences after one of us would inadvertently bring up a topic we weren't willing to talk about as a group yet. There was no shortage of those going around the table and one by one they were quietly filed away for another time. Anya, Spike, Willow, Giles even, and the worst one of all was what we were going to do without them. My suggestion that I start spending even more time with Anya at the magic box to become research guy again was met with more silence so I began searching in vain for some humorous topic we could distract ourselves with. Luckily for me Xander was much better at it than I was. Lunch finished up on a much more relaxed note and Buffy and I headed off to meet our latest client while Xander also had to go back to his work.

This latest job was going to be much easier than the last one. I had mistakenly agreed to a three vamp limit on my last job and had paid the price in receiving only half of my nominal going rate after only killing two. This job was going to be a little different, a specific hit against a single target. Buffy was coming along more out of a sense of duty, I think, than any real desire to get into this part of the bounty hunter trade.


End file.
